


Teddy Bear Kisses

by Auduna_Druitt



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Don't forget, Fluff, Gen, Goodnight Kiss, M/M, Teddy Bears, missing her daddy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-17 23:00:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13087230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auduna_Druitt/pseuds/Auduna_Druitt
Summary: Leonard is headed to the Academy and leaving Joanna with his sister. Joanna doesn't want him to go. Daddy promises she'll still get her kiss goodnight because he has a plan.





	Teddy Bear Kisses

Leonard had arranged to meet up with a shuttle bound for Starfleet academy but the catch was he had to get to Iowa. Three days before he was scheduled to be there he was sitting on the front porch swing of his mother’s house with his daughter in his lap. She was crying quietly into his shoulder and it was more than enough to break his heart.

“Why do you have to go daddy? Why can’t you just stay here with me?”

“I’d love to stay with you Jojo but I need to go. Daddy needs to work and this is a good opportunity for me. Aunt Donna and Peaches are going to take care of you while I’m gone. I’ll call you whenever I have a chance sweetheart.”

She sniffled and snuggled up against him, “Okay daddy.”

The next morning Joanna and Donna drove him to the bus station. After he purchased his ticket and found his bus he kneeled down and hugged his daughter. “I’m gonna miss you baby.”

“I’m gonna miss you too daddy. Can I call you and say goodnight every night?”

Leonard looked up at his sister and back at his little girl, “I’m not sure I’ll be able to do that sweetheart but maybe…” He reached over and unzipped his bag. “Maybe this will help.” He said pulling out a dark brown teddy bear. 

“What is it daddy?”

“It’s a special bear. When you get scared or lonely or just need a hug you give the bear a hug and pretend you’re hugging me.”

“But what about my goodnight kiss?”

“You give my kiss to your bear…” he reached back and pulled a second bear out of his bag, “and my bear will give it to me. Okay?”

“Okay daddy.”

“You won’t forget my goodnight kisses right?”

Joanna held her bear tight and smiled, “I’ll remember daddy.”

* * *

Once he was settled into his new dorm and all his clothes unpacked and put away he stored his bag in the bottom of the closet. Laying down on the bed he closed his eyes and thought of Joanna getting ready for bed. A faint thud followed by “Fuck!” brought him back to his surroundings. Sighing he opened his eyes to see his new roommate hopping around on one foot. 

“Do I want to know?”

Jim looked over at him and promptly tripped over his own bag on the floor landing flat on his face. “Ow!”

Leonard sat up and raised an eyebrow, “Are you always this clumsy?”

“I’m not clumsy. That was just one of my random gravity checks. Yep…it works…” 

Shaking his head Leonard rose from the bed and walked back around to his closet and with a glance over his shoulder to check that Jim was preoccupied he took out the dark brown bear. Hugging it to him for a moment he kissed the top of it’s fuzzy head. “Goodnight baby.” he whispered to the bear.

He continued his nightly ritual of hugging the bear and kissing it on the head before he climbed in bed. On the days he didn’t make it back to the dorm because he was working in the clinic he would give the bear an extra kiss and apologize to Joanna. 

Seven months later he was getting ready for bed and had just pulled out the bear when Jim walked in and froze. The blonde smirked at him and leaned against the partition. “You brought a friend to school with you?”

Leonard glared at him and stuck the bear back in the bag. “Shut up.”

Jim left it alone that night but every night after that he would give Leonard a knowing look as he headed to his closet and occasionally poke fun at him for it. Leonard would shoot him a look as if daring him to say something before he pulled the bear out. A month later Jim walked in from class earlier than normal and head Leonard talking to someone. 

“I miss you too baby. Have you been good for auntie Donna?”

_“Yes daddy. I drew a picture for you today. We put it up on the fridge so you can see it when you come home.”_

“I can’t wait to see it sweetheart.”

_“Are you still getting my kisses daddy?”_

“Yes baby. My bear is delivering all the kisses and hugs. Have you been getting mine?”

_“Yes daddy. Mister Blue bear is giving me all the kisses. Auntie Donna says she’ll make him an outfit to match yours when you graduate.”_

“That sounds really neat baby. I bet you can’t wait fo that can you?”

_“How much longer ‘til you graduate daddy?”_

“Three more years sweetheart.” He glanced over his shoulder at the clock, “Baby I have to go now. I have to study for a test tomorrow and daddy’s roommate should be back soon.”

_“Okay daddy. I love you.”_

“I love you too Jojo.”

Jim stood on the other side of the partition staring at a spot on the wall. The bear was more than he’d thought. It was more than just a comfort item…it was a connection to family. A connection to his little girl. Jim shook his head and after a few more moments walked around the partition. Leonard was engrossed in one of his books and barely noticed when Jim walked in the door. 

The blonde collapsed on the little couch and curled up facing away from his roommate and he stayed there until he fell asleep a couple of hours later. When he woke the next morning he rolled over and caught Leonard with the bear in his arms whispering something to it. Leonard stuck the bear back in his bag and as he straightened up his eyes caught Jim’s. “Go ahead. Say something smart.”

Jim’s cheeks turned bright red and he shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

Leonard frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re what?”

“I’m sorry. I overheard you talking to your daughter last night…I didn’t mean to but I didn’t want to interrupt you…”

“So you listened to my conversation with my little girl.”

“Yeah. I didn’t know the bear meant so much…I didn’t know…” he sighed and shook his head again, “I’m just really sorry.” 

* * *

The first time Leonard took his pain in the ass roommate to Georgia with him was for Christmas. Most of the rest of the cadets were going home for the holidays and he couldn’t bear to see Jim sitting on his bed looking so pitiful and he hated the idea that he would be spending Christmas alone in their dorm. The whole way to Georgia Jim fidgeted in the seat beside him like a nervous boyfriend about to meet his partner’s parents for the first time. Somewhere over Arkansas Leonard had threatened to give him a hypo to calm him down or knock him out entirely. The fidgeting didn’t stop but he could tell Jim was trying. 

Donna met them at the hangar and drove them back to the house where Eleanora, Fred, and Joanna were waiting. The moment Leonard stepped out of the truck Joanna was running toward him. He lifted her up in his arms and spun her around kissing her forehead. “Jojo! I’ve missed you so much baby!”

“Daddy you’re squishing me.”

He laughed and settled her on his hip. “Sorry sweetheart.”

“It’s okay daddy. I missed you too.” She said wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek.

“I missed those kisses. The teddy bear just doesn’t give those as good as you do.”

Joanna didn’t respond. She just stared over his shoulder at the blonde slowly getting out of the truck. “Who’s that daddy?”

“What?” he turned and looked back at the truck. “Oh, that’s daddy’s roommate. Remember I told you about him?”

“Why is he sad?”

“He’s not sad baby.  He’s just nervous. He’s never met you guys before and I don’t think he’s ever been to Georgia either.”

“He still looks sad.”

Leonard watched Jim grab their bags out of the back and nodded. “Do you know what always cheers me up when I’m sad?”

Joanna grinned and whispered in her daddy’s ear. He laughed and nodded as he set her back down. With the biggest smile on her face she ran over to Jim and wrapped her arms around his legs almost knocking him over in the process. He looked down at her and then up at Leonard who shook his head and laughed. “Jim, meet Joanna.”

She looked up at him still holding on tight. “Hi! Do you want to have a tea party with me? You don’t have to dress up or anything.” 

He stared down at her for a minute before Leonard took his bag from him. “Just say yes. She doesn’t take no for an answer.”

Looking into her big brown eyes he smiled and nodded, “Okay. I’d Love to have a tea party with you.”

She squeezed him tighter and squealed with delight. “I’m gonna go set up!”

Three hours later after Eleanora had fussed over Jim and gotten him settled in Joanna led him up to her room. “This is a special tea party. Just you and me.”

“Your daddy isn’t going to join us?”

“Nope. Just us and the bears.”

He frowned slightly but when she opened the door to her room he smiled. A little white table sat in the middle of the room with two empty chairs and two chairs occupied by stuffed bears. Jim smiled and took a seat in one of the empty chairs. 

By the time the holiday break was over Jim and Joanna were practically best friends. Before they loaded up to head back to the academy Joanna hugged her daddy and whispered something in his ear. He smiled at her and nodded, “I think he would like that.”

After her daddy released her from the hug she ran over to Jim, “Can I tell you a secret?”

Jim kneeled down, “Of course.”

Joanna leaned forward to whisper in his ear but kissed him on the cheek instead. “Thank you for coming. I had lots of fun.”

Jim blushed and smiled at her. “I had fun too Jojo.”

* * *

The next time Jim went with Leonard to Georgia they were dating. Jim was a part of the family and Joanna was was over the moon that he was staying. They spent the first day in Georgia playing in the front yard while Leonard watched from the porch swing. The second day was cookie day. Jim and Joanna “helped” Eleanora with her christmas cookie baking and then Leonard showed them how to decorate the cookies. Day three was christmas eve and Jim kept Joanna occupied while the others were working in the kitchen getting things ready for the big christmas feast the next day. 

As the sun set and Leonard looked at the clock he pulled off his apron and laid it over a chair on his way out of the kitchen. Upstairs he found Joanna tucked into bed and Jim asleep on the little bed beside her with a book in his hand. Smiling to himself he walked over and slipped the book from Jim’s hand and set it on the bedside table. After a quick kiss to his daughter’s forehead he carefully lifted Jim off the bed. The blonde stirred and snuggled up against him but didn’t open his eyes. 

The next morning Leonard woke to find Jim laying next to him staring at him. “That’s not creepy at all Jim.” he said reaching over and patting him on the face.

“Bones….Bones….Bones….”

Leonard groaned and pulled a pillow over his head. “Let me sleep…” He muttered into the pillows.

“But it’s Christmas!”

“Five more minutes Jim.”

Jim sighed and draped himself over the brunette, “Fine.”

Five minutes later Jim was poking him in the cheek, “Bones…Hey Bones…It’s been five minutes.”

Leonard groaned and shook his head. “It’s still too early…”

The door opened quietly and Joanna slipped inside. Jim grinned at her and held a finger to his lips before pointing at Leonard. Joanna nodded and jumped up on the bed and pounced on her dad. “Daddy! Wake up it’s Christmas!”

He rolled over on his back and groaned again. “Not you too.”

She grabbed his hand and tugged him up. “Please daddy? Peaches is already up and there’s coffee downstairs…”

Leonard gave her a little smile and sighed, “Okay. I’ll get up. You two get downstairs, I’m right behind you.”

Jim jumped off the bed and Joanna followed after him as he ran out the door toward the stairs. Leonard shook his head and stood to his feet yawning. Running a hand through his hair he shuffled out the door and down the stairs where Jim was standing waiting for him with a hot cup of coffee. “Figured this way you could just come straight to the living room. Everyone is waiting for you.” 

Leonard grunted and took the cup from him. “Thank you darlin’.” he said kissing him on the cheek.

Smiling Jim led the way into the living room where Joanna was waiting at the base of the big tree. Leonard sat down in an empty armchair and Jim settled on the arm of the chair beside him. Joanna looked over at Eleanora. “Can we start now?”

“Yes Joanna we can start.”

She squealed and grabbed a present from under the tree. Turning around she handed it to Jim. “This is for you! It’s from me and daddy!”

Jim took the box and glanced at Leonard. “I thought….”

“Just open it Jim.”

He shook the box and looked at Joanna. “Doesn’t make any noise. Not very heavy… What could this be? What did you get me?”

She giggled and bounced in place, “Open it!”

He laughed and ripped into the paper and pulled the box open. He stared at the open box for a moment before reaching in and pulling out a light tan stuffed bear. 

“So I can hug you and kiss you goodnight too!”

Jim glanced at his boyfriend. “Bones…”

“It was all Joanna. I just did the shopping.”

Jim smiled and hugged the bear, “Thank you Jojo. I love him.”

Joanna wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. “You won’t forget my teddy bear kisses right?”

“I won’t forget Jojo. I promise.”


End file.
